We are friends of Thinstation 5.0 and the VMWare View 5.0 client with full USB-redirect

At the beginning of the year, I started trying to launch the VMWare View client in the Thinstation environment, and this text is the result of my work. This is more likely even a note than a full-fledged article, since the scribble of me is unimportant. Who are interested - read on.

Prologue


Initially, I was tormented with VMWare View Open Client, until it dawned on me that it basically does not support the PCoIP protocol. After several days of searching, the official VMWare View client was discovered in the ubuntu repositories. After some time, I finally managed to assemble and launch it. At that time it was version 1.3 (under View 5.0), which worked very well, but unfortunately, I was in a Tech Preview state without the so-called “USB port forwarding”.
In an attempt to find some more information on a topic that interests me, I first found the .deb package of VMWare View version 4.5, then version 4.6 for HP thin clients, and also came across an article by m0ps. I tried to repeat too, but already in the Thinstation 2.5 environment with the implementation received earlier - I managed to start the client. This solution was already something working, but it didn’t suit with the fact that there was no support for low-bandwidth connections, it was tearing up the session when the connection was disconnected and even the little things.
Another attempt was made with the official client version 1.4 from the ubunta repository, but again the client was without USB support.
And here it is the long-awaited happiness: on April 13, HP releases a software update for its linux-based thin clients! The necessary .deb package was picked out, everything was assembled in the right form in less than 15 minutes and pleased me with its full work :)
And here I am, to share with you the recipe for preparing Thinstation 5.0 and VMWare View 5.0 with full support for USB-redirect, which was impossible to do literally until today.

Actually, the recipe


I am unsure of the legality of using this method, everything described below was done for the purpose of self-study, so you do everything at your own peril and risk.
I hope you already have Thinstation 5.0 and VMWare View 5.0 installed and still want to get USB support in your thin clients?
Then
let's go: 1. Download the package, unpack the contents into the directory /thinstation/ts/5.0/packages/
2. Go to the build subdirectory
3. Run the script ./dep_view5.sh.
4. Add the line “package vmviewpcoip” to build.conf
5. Build the image
6. PROFIT!

A few caveats about the build process:
1. It is mandatory to run the script (item 3) only after entering Dev mode (./setup-chroot in the / thinstation directory) otherwise the ar command will not work to unpack the .deb package and you will not receive a working package
2. It is necessary to unpack the archive with the script under Linux (so that the rights do not fly away)

In case of successful completion, the dep_view.log created next to the script will be ~ 24kb. Otherwise, analyze it to understand where you have a problem.
And if you still fix thinstation.conf.buildtime - we get the client autoload after starting the thin client system. Example: I load the resulting image on the old hardware using PXE. The end user can only enter his domain login + password and start working in his usual environment.

SESSION_0_TYPE=vmviewpcoip
SESSION_0_AUTOSTART=on
SESSION_0_VMVIEWPCOIP_SERVERURL=https://vmware-view5-server
SESSION_0_VMVIEWPCOIP_FULLSCREEN=true
SESSION_0_VMVIEWPCOIP_DOMAINNAME=example.com




Epilogue


The package itself . Also, in the kit, I left the old version of the script for collecting the package version 4.6 (./dep_view4.6.sh) as a bonus and the cleaning script (./clean_dep.sh).
Probably, after some time, you will be able to find it in Thinstation 5.0, which is called “out of the box”, as well as the script itself and a description of how to use the Thinstation email list separately .
I take this opportunity to say hello to wfx, tiv, Petry Roman, as well as to other foreign colleagues from the #thinstation channel, who helped me in collecting all this funny trouble.

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